I'm not white, I'm mixed race, and have faced my own share of problems that I'll not sideline the thread with. Also as a female I live all my life with the fear of being targeted for sexual assault and sexism overall and fear the same for transgendered females as well, by the way. That's why I'm not against sharing the ladies room with a transgendered lady. I'm just wishing and hoping for a way to do so in a way that will diminish both our vulnerability to predators. Alas, that "easy way" won't be feasible in every situation.
Anyway...
It's BECAUSE I'm worried that the rights you seek will be overturned with the stroke of a pen, that I don't want to rely on something as flimsy as an executive order to decide these matters.
The black rights you reference have been fought for state by state, over GENERATIONS, to gain the backing and critical mass they needed to become secured in a permanent and enduring basis in our laws up to the federal level. And they are still being firmed up, with much progress left to accomplish. Same as with the rights of the disabled.
That is how our system has worked and how it was designed to work. Our country at its founding was recognized to NOT be one homogeneous population but a coming together of colonies that were diverse in origin and character. Some started as colonies of Catholics fleeing oppression. Or as Protestants doing the same. Some started as commercial ventures.
The system was also designed to let people freely enter and leave the communities that best matched their values and lifestyle choices.
The system was also supposed to be a mixed of populist and elite ideals. Hence the popular vote and the electoral voting system. And it was supposed to take its direction from the people. The chief executive was not meant to dictate to the people. We speak through our elected representatives.
The reason the system seems so effed up is we gave our corporations the rights of people. It has now become "of the lobbysists, by the lobbyists and for the corporations" more than the man or woman on the street, unfortunately.
That's why I really do not like a person conflating their identity with that of a corporation. The corporation has vast wealth and influence at its beck and call. That's all well and good when the corporation has humanitarian values. But what about Nestle? The head of Nestle has embroiled himself and Nestle in a lot of controversy over who has rights to water. What about Monsanto, who routinely tries to trounce the rights of people to be free of GMO garbage in their diets.
Like it or not, the kind of change you seek is a process and takes generations to accomplish. The millennial generation is good at fast tracking change and future generations will be as well, but change is always going to be a messy time consuming business when it involves human beings who are free and not under mind control.
I don't know how old you are but I'm 50 and see the progress LGBT rights have made in my lifetime. It's particularly impressive when you consider how small a percentage of the entire population of the country the LGBT community comprises.
Meanwhile LGBT have been effective at establishing communities, even entire cities supportive to their needs. I should know because I lived in one for many years. It is horrible that people might feel compelled to leave their hometowns to find a compatible environment, but people of all diverse kinds have been doing so since there has been a country. Others choose to fight for change and a place in their community, knowing it will be a hard struggle, but worth it.
If you want the Feds to take power to quickly and cleanly confer rights upon you, fine, but don't be surprised when they take that power and do something you don't agree with. Something horrific.
It's far better to have all of us rise up through our legislators and our courts to ASSERT our human rights. Not beg, bug or bully one President, who may or may not be mentally healthy, to do so for us. And better to do so as people, not corporations. We need to take our personhood back from companies.
